Bright Green Leaves
by MonAanGor
Summary: A wasted land of Twilight lays the foundation for a new hero to fight where the other has failed. "Experience eternity as my devoted vessel of twilight..." AU; story not expected to remain T. T for mild violence.
1. Death Lives On

**Chapter 1: **Death Lives On

_Link ran into Hyrule castle desperate and on edge. Midna's breathing became shallower and she could talk no more. Link heard the overpowering silence and dashed over the waterways with the primal goal of salvation. Reaching the familiar, yet unimpressive spiral staircase, Link entered the bottom of the seemingly endless spire, leading to the Heavenly lifeline he needed so lawlessly. He almost blindly charged up the spiral tower that led to the princess and killed everything he saw in a blind rage. Hating Zant, hating the Twili, he rushed across ropes and broken staircases to the celestial wonder he needed. _

_"Princess Zelda… Princess Zelda…" Link could hear Midna barely whisper over the sounds of screaming bodies of Bublins. Link charged the archer and clamped his powerful jaws on its neck, sending an unidentifiable liquid spurting against the castle's desolately pale walls. Link felt its warmth and growled to himself in self-indulgence, feeling the revenge flow through his body. Turning quickly, he made his way to the rooftops, ignoring all the horrors that saw him and, in turn, attacked him. Rushing along the rooftops, no, the heavens, he saw the window that meant inconsequential health. Despairingly latching onto the windowsill as Hell itself chased after him, he threw himself inside before finally reaching the Goddess he sought for. Instead, however, he looked into the face of the Underworld's King as he curled his grotesque lips to form a wicked smile. _

_"Zant…" Midna whispered, only able to slightly lift her head off the wolf's back. What she saw horrified her. Zant was holding Zelda's twitching body, with blood dripping from her temple, as she made disturbingly soft and gurgling noises. Alongside Zant's smile, Midna's disgust and contempt for Zant only grew, but she was powerless to do anything. She tried to squirm and retaliate, but she had no power; being close to death, she needed the fair maiden in Zant's grasp, but now… what would happen to the both of them? _

_"Whelp, I am smarter than you think I am, and I shall make sure I do everything in my power to overshadow you," Zant explained, not taking his artificial gaze of the duo on the ground. Link growled again, louder this time, but Zant raised his arm against him in defiance. _

_"Hero, how does it feel to fail?" Zant smirked at Link's discontentment, "How does it feel to have come so far, to have conquered such great heights, only to fall from the last crevice?" Link started to shake. Midna tried to calm him but she was too weak. Link leaped at Zant, who promptly disappeared. Link hit the castle's wall, and Midna flew off his back onto the floor. Link, dazed, turned around and tried to get back Midna but ran directly into Zant, who looked down at him, and grinned once more._

_"Too slow," Zant mused, holding out his arm and raising Link into the air with the magic of the ancient Twili. Link howled out and thrashed in pain, and the violent climbing of the guards up the tower could be heard just barely in Link's occupied ears. He threw him next to Midna, as he harshly fell to the ground, red lightning-like light emitted from him, and Midna crawled over to him, trying to take away what was hurting him. _

_The Shadow Beasts charged into the room, but Zant stopped them. "Do not approach us. We will gain a valuable asset tonight." The Beasts, of course, unable to express direct emotion, stood eerily by, their massive heads twitching horrifically in the shining moonlight._

_"An… asset…" Midna croaked, unable to help Link in his defeated form. Zant responded by letting out his trademark, yet strident cry, and the Shadow Beasts followed suit. Midna could barely cover her ears fast enough. Zant bowed his head and dropped the princess, "Fools. How dare you attempt to thwart what could never be defeated."_

_Midna breathed, "One day, your reign will end… and we will laugh in our sweet vengeance."_

_"Oh, silly Twilight Princess, how you amuse me so. Look around you. Your saviors are defeated, and you yourself are on the very brink of death." Zant chuckled, "You cannot win." Midna no longer had energy to respond. Her head fell to the side and her eyes shut as she breathed breaths of ceaseless agony. Zant tossed the princess to the side and grabbed Midna. He enveloped her in a cloud of her own power before destroying her body entirely. Link shook, trying to move; Zant had far reached Link's anger point. An essence of a dark blue light floated up threw the roof of the room and the room fell silent._

_Zant, however, brutally picked up Link by the neck and beckoned silently to his Beasts that the princess would be looked after with more diligence. A motionless stare from Zant implied death if he became unhappy. The Beasts bowed their heads and left the room, one standing, however, right outside the door preventing further intruders. Zant stood, gazing outside the tower's window before transporting himself out of the castle, and into the Palace of Twilight._

**later…**

_"I've finally _got_ you, you worthless scum!" Zant yelled as he threw the paralyzed Link on the floor of his throne room, "After all this nonsense, I can finally rest, knowing you are no longer a threat."_

_Quietly striding over to his throne he sat down giddily, his body unable to rest in anticipation. "I apologize for not giving you a tour of this wonderful land first, however, you can rest assured the hospitality is impeccable," Zant continued, amused with his own sarcasm. Link opened one eye and stared intently at the Usurper, starting to regain a feel for his own body._

_"Oh? Are you beginning to move again? I suppose I shouldn't waste any more time with you." Link remained motionless on the floor, wondering frantically what Zant had planned for him. He saw Zant raise his arm, and then an eerie stillness invaded the hysterical atmosphere._

_Just then, Link felt a sharp pain in all his joints and body. He cried out in pain and suffering as he tried to move; tried to escape the torture that gladly assimilated his body. His paws then felt a more intense pain, and claws burst out of them, shooting blood all over the castle floor. His leg joints were next as they, alongside searing agony, jerked and twisted themselves into inexorable positions. As each twist forced bones into a new home, Link felt every turn, and suffered every time. His jaws protruded and grew abnormally, forcing the bones inside to grow forward. Link's eyes widened in shock and torment, as his entire skeleton was being bent and grown to Zant's will. A dark sphere of ever-dismal energy enveloped the Wolf as he let out on more howl of sanity before being altered into a shadow of the beast he once was._

_Zant laughed softly from his throne, smiling to himself as he looked upon his marvelous handiwork. Link's mind was being slowly consumed by the gloom of his new life, and he looked at Zant for the last time as his mortal enemy. His eyes turned black as he became motionless; newfound evil in a newfound shell._

_Zant gazed upon his most prized creation in fondness and foreboding malice. The "Hero" as he so mockingly named him had now become the greatest of the Shadow Beasts; larger, more intimidating, and much more malevolent than the others in the world. Gross, jagged teeth dripped liquid twilight onto the floor, mixing with the blood from Wolf Link, shed just seconds beforehand. His paws were now massive, harnessing eradicators that rivaled those of Zant's Master himself. His eyes, now jet black, lacked emotion and purpose, to such an extent where Zant could see the face of his Master's bane. _

_"You, Hero, are my killing slave. You will fight me no longer. You shall only fight the very light you sought to restore." Zant paused, gazing upon the face of the hellhound. "The luster of souls shall wane. Experience eternity as my devoted vessel of Twilight." _


	2. Appreciation

**Chapter 2: **Appreciation

**16 years later…**

"Mom… can I go and see Ana? Her mom said it was okay soon," Link asked Ilia, scared, yet bored of staying inside for so long, three months that is.

Ilia stared at her son intently, "Don't lie to me. Beth isn't stupid," Ilia scolded, seeing right through her son's desire to see the world. Ilia had thankfully regained her memory with Renado's help, knowing it was necessary before Ilia's pregnancy had gotten more worrisome. How would he explain to her that she was pregnant before knowing the father?

Looking at her son's dismay she sat next to him, "Look, Link, you know how dangerous it is to go outside during the Elimination… King Zant's beasts would kill you in an instant. Don't try to be sneaky. Promise me, Link."

Link stood up, "Mom, I'm sorry… I can't promise you that," he said solemnly.

Ilia also stood up, "Link, please… I can't lose you like I lost your father."

"You don't even know where he is! What if I could find him!? What if I could make life worth living again!?" he shouted.

Ilia shouted back, "Link! I will never allow you to do any of that! It's too dangerous!"

Link stood with a stare that reflected rage, both towards his mother and to the Twilight that has enveloped his miserable life. Ilia's eyes softened as she opened the door slightly, picking a leaf off the tree before quickly shutting it again.

"Link. Look at this leaf. Look at the shade of green," Ilia prompted, handing the leaf to her miserable son. He took it, observed it in silence for a moment before looking back at his mother.

"I remember the time where this leaf was bright and filled with life. But since we've been cast under fear, I can't see the world correctly anymore. It's all covered with darkness," Ilia explained.

"Then why won't you let me fix the world? I'm sure my father would have done it. Why can't I?"

"Things are different now…" Ilia had to pause. "Zant has taken over the world. There's no stopping it. I'm sorry, Link." Ilia looked at Link's son, seeing the face of the one she loved in passion, and now gazing upon the face of the one she loved in family. Link nodded in response and headed upstairs to his dark and solemn room.

Link looked out the window at the growing tree and reflected on his mother's plea. "I want to see the world in its pure light", he thought to himself, "I need to". He lied on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to force himself asleep. Every hour he didn't have to live in Hell was a benefit to him.

_16 years it'd been since that fated day the Twilight ruled over their world. Zant had become their tyrant, and all were forced to serve as his underlings. The Shadow Beasts had become guards of the outside world, forbidding passage in the most basic of levels. Everything done outside was done in secrecy, and their lives had transformed themselves into lives of pure dread. One young child had already been caught, and his father was killed as a punishment as well. Since then, Kakariko Village, no, the world had been plunged into a deep and antagonizing terror only light itself could banish. But what hope of that was there now? When the sun rose, all people could see was the heartbreaking sight of dull, painful gleams exposing the world, not the brilliance some remembered. The children of Hyrule had been born into the darkness; they were forced to begin life in shadow, and longed for the radiance of the Old World's light as their parents told them countless stories, recalling fond memories of the land in which they once enjoyed living._

After a few minutes of shutting his eyes as much as possible, he realized there was something in his room preventing him from sleeping. He opened his eyes and almost yelled in shock. A beautiful dark blue light hovered over him, filling his room with an almost intimidating allure. Link reached out and tried to touch it, but it jolted back, sending Link back in surprise. A voice emitted from it, sending chills down Link's spine; a voice of reason, a voice of malice, a voice of purpose.

"Link," the glow whispered, using a calm, but disturbing voice, filled with otherworldly power.

"Y-yes…?" Link responded, scared of the response he'd get. He removed himself from the bed and defensively stood against the Holy light.

"I need you to find me and the sword that can banish darkness with every swing," the light proclaimed, and Link's face, hearing this, lit up and he relaxed.

"Why me?" Link asked.

"Your father died trying to save me… I can never thank him enough for his courage and spirit…" the voice paused, perhaps in thought, "But now I need the second in a lineage of greatness to help me." Link tightened up. "You must leave Kakariko Village and back to the hometown of your mother… it's there where your new quest will begin."

"What quest?" Link asked. He was excited but also fearful of the light's message. Would the world really be giving him such an easy chance?  
"A quest to save your father, and, through that, the world," the light answered. "I cannot remain with you any longer… but I sincerely hope I find you in Ordon. Lost soul, find me," the spirit finished before fading into obscurity of the night's darkness. Link stood shaking for many minutes before lying back down on his bed, sleeping in unfortunate suspense, forced to decide the future of his family and the world with just his lone self. His dreams were littered with a mixture of blue and green in his horrific state of unconsciousness.

**the next morning…**

Ilia was on the ground, her arms wrapped around Link's waist, sobbing uncontrollably into her son's tunic. Link stood, both determined and sorrowful, not expecting this big a reaction from his mother. He could hear Ilia begging him not to leave amidst her sobs and Link could only continue to stand his ground uncomfortably. After what seemed like several hours, she finally pushed herself away from her son.

"Link, please, it's an awful world out there; please let me protect you," she wept, still on the floor.

Link could feel the light watching down upon him, like guidance. "Mother, I have a chance. There's finally a way to make Zant pay for what he's done. I'm not going to leave an opportunity like that go to waste."

"How will you even get to Ordon, Link?!" his mother cried. "You don't have a horse, you don't have a guide; you're condemning yourself to death! Who knows if there's a beast outside right now waiting to kill you?!"

Link remained speechless for a moment, trying to find a legitimate answer, but then saw an eerie glow of blue outside the boarded up window. "I do have a guide. Nothing is ever done now for no reason, you know that. Once I step outside, brave enough to not be afraid, my own quest, like Dad's, can start."

Ilia bowed her head, not in respect, but in understanding. Understanding in that she knew she could not convince her son otherwise, and that her son was as hotheaded as his father. He would do anything to help those he loved as his own, and wouldn't rest until the deed was done.

"Link, if you don't at least find your father, I'll be disappointed in you," she said softly, acknowledging what was to become of her son.

Link, despite the threat, was elated to hear his mother appreciate what he was to become, and what he was to do. The wind seemed to blow carefully and subtly around them, studying the new outsider before accepting his new fate.

Ilia sat, deprived and lonely, just as Link took the first step outside towards the world's bizarrely disturbed freedom.

**scared…**

Fear surged through him as the light moved towards the fated lake of the Goddess, spirit as it was better known as. Following the light against the wall, he looked around for any sign of the beasts; he didn't see any. He moved closer to the lake, looking around the corner of the cold rock, his body pressed against the cool mountain. Link saw nothing in the lake, and turned around once more to come face to face with a Shadow Beast.

Link screamed and the beast struck him, forcing him to fall back into the spring. As the beast charged at him, Link backed up in the water, breathing fast and panting in sheer panic. The Beast roared, alerting the entire village of another quandary and Ilia bowed her head, covering her eyes. The Beast raised its mighty arm just as the blue light transported him away. The Beast looked around, confused, then rushed off to his Liege's discretion.


	3. Retold

**Chapter 3: **Retold

Link's gaping mouth could let out no sounds as he fell into the now-forsaken lake of the Goddess. His eyes widened as his restricted breathing became apparent. Link quickly raised himself and spat into the lake, forcing the trapped water out of him. What a shame it'd be if his quest were to end so suddenly… Link stood up, finding himself in a spring, where the trees covered the sun's light more than the Twilight itself ever could. He looked around, anxious and frightened; death could be at any corner. The green light hovered slightly over him. "Link, we have to hurry… to get the sword that banishes evil…" The voice seemed strained, worried.

"What's the matter…?" Link asked, sensing this. The tone of its voice was not helping his own fear. He began staring at the opening past the lake, waiting for a Beast to charge him. Having not seen a lush forest like this before, his fear was only amplified by the environmental unfamiliarity.

The light remained silent before hovering over to the entrance to the forest. "The Sacred Grove… It's been 15 years since we learned of it." It paused, "Link, we have to be careful getting to it. Zant's creatures have to be guarding it."

Link felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, "I don't want to face those things again…" He stopped, wanting to add more, but there was nothing he could say to cover the cowardice he'd displayed.

The light stayed quiet before floating toward him once more, almost as if it'd turned back. Link stared wide-eyed at it; he hadn't gotten this close to it before and its radiance was intimidating him. He expected the voice to yell, but instead it whispered sweetly, "Link, I know you know it will be difficult, but at the same time, _this is what it takes to live in the light_." Link froze; had the spirit heard him and his mother? The voice continued, "This is the first step. _Be brave, hero_."

Link's face stood in wonderment for a moment before turning into complete confidence. "I am a hero," he thought to himself, "I won't let the world down before I've even started." The menacing silence of the woods, however, seemed to rebel, the trees blowing and softly rustling. Link walked slowly toward the woods entrance, unsure if this omen supported or disagreed with this claim.

Looking out into the clearing, Link's confidence plummeted as he turned to his left to see a Twilight-ridden mongrel, holding a sword with his dark, twisted arms and trudging along the earth with jagged legs.

"Link," said the spirit, "You'll need that sword and sheath. Fighting it is the only way." Link turned quickly opening his mouth to rebut, but upon checking, there was nothing to rebut to. Turning around slowly, he gazed into the sickening yellow eyes of the monster, which began to run at him. Link wanted to scream, but was petrified, not knowing how to react to the evident danger ahead of him. Sizing it up would do no good; he was the prey. Link closed his eyes tightly, searching for all the courage he could muster. "This is only the _first fight,_" he said to himself angrily, "You _won't _lose. You _can't_." He opened his eyes to find the monster raising its sword above his head, not one foot away from him. Link yelled and dodged the slash to the right, rolling along the ground. Standing up, he noticed the monster turn to him, holding the sword low as he ran close once again. Slashing down once more, Link repeated the tactic that worked… what else could he do? "Fight back!" he yelled to himself. "Why won't you fight _back!?_" He felt the rage build up inside him… maybe this is what he needed. The monster again slashed down, allowing to once again slip to the right, but not as far this time, as he needed to retaliate. However, in his maneuver, the creature slightly caught Link in his left arm. Link groaned in pain before striking the monster in its grotesque skull. Dazed, the monster stepped back, attempting to regain its composure. Link though, through the pain he was in, ran to it and forcefully tackled it to the ground. The sword flew from its hand at the sudden blow. Punching it again to ensure its stupor, he picked up a large stone, almost conveniently nearby. Grabbing it with both hands, he held it over his head, releasing a wild battle cry before smashing it into the creature's colorless countenance. What Link could only assume was blood soaked the innocent earth as he could feel the monster's body fall limp. It, however, was quickly turning dark from head to toe. Link quickly got up and ran back, turning in time to see the monster's body explode into the Twilight. Just as luckily, its sword and sheath were left for Link, almost as a commemoration for his victory. Link, clutching his left arm walked over to the items, attached the sheath to his back and slid the sword in. Was he a warrior now? Was he a hero? The thought made him excited. Looking up once more he noticed the green light over to the right of the lake, waiting for him to traverse a more dangerous path.

He felt it… smile? "Are you ready? The Sacred Grove awaits your mighty touch," it said, relatively sarcastically.

Link nodded. "Let's do it."

**later…**

Perhaps he needed to stop feeling so mighty, because it apparently always followed with this confidence being lost. Across the dimly lit valley he saw a thick, purple fog covering the entire forest floor. What would he do? This was an impossible feat…

He heard a rattling behind him and he quickly drew his sword and turned, his face contorting into one of anger and battle. But what he found surprised him, and he lowered his sword in shock.

An old, weary monkey walked out into the clearing, sporting a mangled pink bow on its forehead (Link could only assume it was a female). In its hand it held a small lantern. She crawled up to Link, and turned her face to him, studying him for a while. The spirit light had returned, and the monkey turned to it as well, studying them both in a calm manner of remembrance. Link turned to the light and heard it… cry? The spirit was crying. Did it know her? Was… had his father been here?

The monkey turned her head back to the fog and lit the lantern, before starting off into the fog. Link held out his arm and was about to yell out, "Stop!" but the fog parted around her as she walked in. She turned around and stared into Link's eyes intently. Link looked back and walked in behind her closing his eyes tightly in fear, waiting. When he opened his eyes once more, nothing had changed for once… the monkey was still looking at him waiting to move forward.

"Lead the way," Link said softly, nodding at the monkey to press forward. She nodded in return, turned her back to him and walked slowly through the menacing fog. She seemed so fearless and yet so determined, marching along the ground like a commander. Link was happy for both this newfound savior as well as the lack of monsters he'd need to fight. At the same time though, he was almost embarrassed that this monkey was exponentially braver than him, but he wasn't going to complain; he was too grateful.

As she reached the end of the massive forest she dropped the lantern to the ground. She stared into Link's eyes, perhaps knowing the lineage that saved her life so many times. She lay down on the floor on her back, shaking. Her old bones prevented too much quick movement. She continued to look at Link, and Link, being the emotional person he was, stared back. The only time he turned away was when he noticed she was no longer blinking.

**later…**

Link stepped into the forest clearing and looked up at the Forest Temple. He started toward it but the light behind him laughed. "It looks important doesn't it? But that's not where we're going. Look to the right of it." Link turned his head and saw another, more treacherous looking path. Of course it was. He started heading toward it, but 4 pillars fell forcefully from the sky. Link looked around in frenzy as a wall of dark red energy connected the pillars. Link looked up to see a oddly shaped portal appear above him. Link looked behind him for the light, but it was trapped behind the walls. Looking back up, two Shadow Beasts fell from it. It harrowed Link in two ways; the sheer fact that he had to face Shadow Beasts, and that _Zant knew what he was up to_. He drew his sword and prepared for battle.

He trembled at the sight of the monsters that completely overpowered him before. But he knew this was necessary to save his father and the world. Link's face turned serious and he charged at them. As a beast brought his massive weapon-like hand down upon Link, he dodged to the left, slashing the arm upwards as he moved. Black liquid shot out and spread over the grass. Pivoting his legs, he turned quickly and drew his sword through the Beast's stomach. More blood dripped out and it collapsed. Link strode over to the other, ready to take it on too, but before he could even raise his sword, a bloodcurdling scream emitted from the beast in front of him. He covered ears and turned around, only to find the other beast rising once more. The blood across the grass liquefied and rose off the ground and Link watched in horror as it shot back into the Beast's body. It returned to all fours as if nothing had happened. Link backed away from both of them, not knowing what to do… was he finished? Blood pounded in his temple as he began to panic. His grip on the sword's hilt increased. He had to think… if one couldn't die without the other, there was only one thing to do.

He walked confidently into the middle of the two beasts, holding his sword to the side. The beasts roared and began to charge, and Link shut his eyes, and began to spin around. Link himself roared out in a grotesque mixture of anger and dread as he held out his sword, striking both beasts in their chests. Blood erupted from their bodies but froze in place just before it hit the ground. Link stood, panting and confused, but as the beasts on the ground exploded into Twilight, the blood followed suit. Link looked up and saw the Twilight shoot back into the sky, forming what he could only assume to be a portal. The light hovered next to him and whispered, "You're already so much like your father… and you'll soon need to learn what happened to him." Link smiled at the spirit, and paced toward the chasm that marked a new phase in his own Hero's Quest.


End file.
